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Rajya Sabha: Narendra Modi heaps praises on the NCP amidst political turmoil in Maharashtra

OpIndia Staff
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Rajya Sabha: Narendra Modi heaps praises on the NCP amidst political turmoil in Maharashtra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his address to the Rajya Sabha on the beginning of its 250th session, heaped praises on the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD). The Prime Minister’s praise for the NCP comes at a time when Maharashtra is going through political turmoil.


Narendra Modi complimented the two parties for their decision to never venture into the well of the House. He said that the success they have achieved during elections is evidence of the fact that political victories can be scored without violating Parliamentary norms. He said that every party, including the BJP, could learn from the conduct of these two parties.

The Prime Minister also said that the function of the Rajya Sabha is providing checks and balance. However, he emphasized that there is a significant difference between checking and ‘clogging’ and balance and ‘blocking’.


Narendra Modi also praised the Rajya Sabha for its historic role in the abrogation of Article 370, the passage of the Triple Talaq Bill and the GST Bill. His praise for the NCP comes at a time when BJP’s traditional partner Shiv Sena dumped it in an attempt to secure an alliance with the NCP. However, thus far, Uddhar Thackeray and his men haven’t been successful thus far in their pursuit of the Chief Minister’s chair.

While the BJP will insist that the Prime Minister’s remarks had little to do with the political circumstances in Maharashtra, observers will no doubt note the political undertones of his comments, and perhaps with good reason.

‘Sky is clear now’: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal says no need to continue odd-even any more

OpIndia Staff
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‘Sky is clear now’: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal says no need to continue odd-even any more

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today stated that now that the Delhi sky looks clear, there is no need to implement the odd-even scheme again. As per reports, the Delhi CM stated, as the sky has been looking clear, there is no need for the bizarre odd-even rule.


Speaking at the press conference, Kejriwal asserted that the sky in Delhi has cleared up and there is no reason for the implementation of the odd-even scheme once again.

With the stated aim of reducing pollution and traffic congestion in the city, the Kejriwal government had introduced the first phase of the odd-even scheme on November 4. The scheme ended on Friday last week but there were speculations that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal might extend the scheme, considering the deteriorating air quality index in Delhi.

As per data by the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi witnessed 5 days each of very poor and severe air quality. The air quality index (AQI) on November 12 entered the severe zone (425) and has continued to worsen further.

The Supreme Court had earlier pulled up Kejriwal-led AAP government, questioning it on the rationale behind implementing the odd-even scheme and asking it to provide data on the air quality of the national capital during the period when the scheme was in force.

The apex court had rapped Delhi Government up terming the odd-even scheme as ‘half-baked’ solution that was incapable of having a salutary effect on Delhi’s environmental woes. It also questioned it on the rationality of exemption granted to the two-wheelers, three-wheelers and taxis from the odd-even scheme.

Read: SC questions the logic of odd-even rule in Delhi, asks Kejriwal government to furnish data of its actual impact

Casting aspersions on the central government’s intent on declaring Delhi’s tap water as most unsafe, Kejriwal contended that Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan did not reveal in the report from where the samples of the water were taken. He also added that 11 samples of water are not sufficient to judge a city’s water quality.


A report by the national standardisation body of India, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), revealed that water quality in Delhi is the worst. 11 samples collected in Delhi failed in all 19 parameters set by the BIS for water quality. The samples were taken from 11 localities, including Paswan’s official residence at 12 Janpath and Krishi Bhawan in Lutyens’ Delhi, and areas such as Nandnagari, Sonia Vihar, Pitampura, Ashok Nagar and Burari.

Jal ya Jalebi? BJP MP Gautam Gambhir takes a dig on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal over Delhi’s ‘free’ toxic tap water

OpIndia Staff
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Jal ya Jalebi? BJP MP Gautam Gambhir takes a dig on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal over Delhi’s ‘free’ toxic tap water

Cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir today took a dig on Delhi Chief Minister and Delhi Jal Board Chairman Arvind Kejriwal over toxicity in the tap water of Delhi which the government provides ‘free’ to residents and Aam Aadmi Party supporters’ obsession with his viral picture eating jalebi.


Gambhir tweeted ‘jal ya jalebi? (water or jalebi?)’ questioning Aam Aadmi Party’s priorities while attacking him for skipping the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Urban Development meeting on 15th November. Pictures of Gautam Gambhir eating jalebi in Indore had gone viral on social media following which he was trolled.


Gambhir said if his eating jalebi has increased Delhi’s pollution, then he would give up eating jalebis forever. Everyone is serious about pollution except Aam Aadmi Party. Further attacking Kejriwal over toxic water in Delhi, Gambhir said, CM Kejriwal gave free water to Delhi, that too poisonous. “What has he done? He is the chairman of the board,” Gambhir hit out.

Read: Gautam Gambhir says Dhoni’s advice cost him a century in 2011 Cricket World Cup final

Last week, it was revealed that water quality in Delhi is the worst, failing in all the 19 parameters set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Delhi Government refuted the report claiming ‘bias’ in sample testing. BIS is the national standardisation body of India established by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986. BIS had collected 11 samples in Delhi, all of which failed in all 19 parameters set by the BIS for water quality. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is the chairman of Delhi Jal Board (DJB) since September 2017.

Uttar Pradesh: Christian family keeps dead daughter’s body for days, believing bible and prayers will ‘bring her back’

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Christian family keeps dead daughter’s body for days, believing bible and prayers will ‘bring her back’

In a shocking incident, a Christian family residing in Siswar village falling under the jurisdiction of Bhudkuda police station in Ghazipur district, Uttar Pradesh, has been praying to Jesus for the last three days in a desperate attempt to bring back their four-year-old dead daughter to life.

The family, instead of burying the body of the child who died on Thursday evening, had reportedly kept the corpse confined at their relatives’ house in Karubir village in Mau, Uttar Pradesh, and have been ‘praying’ for her resurrection. The family who adopted Christianity a few years ago was convinced by people of their community that the child could be revived by praying to Jesus.

In what transpired on November 14, a 4-year-old child named Mahima, daughter of Arvind Vanvasi was rushed to the local health centre after she started vomiting and complained of a severe stomach ache. The doctors further referred Mahima to another hospital in Mau district in Uttar Pradesh. However, the girl’s condition deteriorated and she died during the treatment.

After the hospital handed over the corpse to the family, the child’s father, instead of laying her to rest, took Mahima’s body to the maternal grandmother’s house in Karubir village in Mau, Uttar Pradesh. At the behest of Rajendra Chauhan, a resident of Garudayalpur village of Jaunpur, some people of the village reportedly placed the corpse in a hut and began reading the bible, believing that the girl will soon wake up.

The body was kept in the shanty for three days following which SP Anurag Arya learnt about the incident. He then sent SO Vinod Kumar Tiwari along with a team of police personnel to the village to try and convince the family to let go of the girl. Upon police intervention, the dead child’s family stated that they will wait till Sunday and if the girl doesn’t wake up, they will arrange for her burial.

Upon enquiry, it was reportedly found that the entire village has been involved in the superstitious act. The locals had claimed that a young girl named Sarita from the village was also declared dead by doctors, but after days of prayer, she was ‘resurrected’ and is now living with her family.

It is being alleged that the Christian villagers who were pushing such ignorant people into believing in such practices were also carrying out forceful religious conversions for the last 12 years.

Agravan when? UP govt asks historians to check if Agra city was ever known by any other name

OpIndia Staff
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Agravan when? UP govt asks historians to check if Agra city was ever known by any other name

Speculations are rife that the name of Agra may soon be changed to Agravan after historians and experts were asked to look into the circumstances in which the name of the city was changed in the past, reports say. Expert advice has been sought from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University in Agra.

“We have received a letter from the state government to look for historical evidence if Agra city was known by any other name. We have begun the research and will reply to the letter,” confirmed Prof Sugam Anand, head of the department of history at the University. “We have merely been asked for historical facts related to name of Agra in the past and we are just complying with the same. There is nothing more than that,” he added.

Read: Congress opposes Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to rename Allahabad to Prayagraj

Last year, BJP MLA from Agra North, Jagan Prasad Garg, had requested the Chief Minister to change the name of the city to Agravan soon after Faizabad and Allahabad were renamed as Ayodhya and Prayagraj respectively. “The region was initially known as Agravan and finds such a mention in the Mahabharat. But in the course of time, the city was named as Akbarabad. Later, it became ‘Agra’, which has no specific meaning and thus its name should be revived to Agravan,” the MLA had said.

Yogi Adityanath has aggressively defended his policy of restoring the names of important cities in the past following criticism from usual quarters. Given his record, it is no wonder that the inquiries made are already creating a flurry of speculations.

BJP-Shiv Sena must choose their path and we will do our politics: Sharad Pawar remains non-committal on Shiv Sena alliance

OpIndia Staff
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BJP-Shiv Sena must choose their path and we will do our politics: Sharad Pawar remains non-committal on Shiv Sena alliance

As Maharashtra deadlock enters its fourth week, NCP’s Sharad Pawar who has reached New Delhi ahead of his scheduled meeting with Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi over government formation in the state continues to remain non-committal over forging alliance with Shiv Sena.

The two are scheduled to meet at 4 PM.


Speaking to media, he said, “BJP-Shiv Sena fought together, we (NCP) and Congress fought together. They have to choose their path and we will do our politics.”

Shiv Sena, however, is still sure of being part of the government in Maharashtra along with NCP and Shiv Sena.

As per reports, after the core committee meeting of the NCP leaders, NCP’s Nawaz Malik said that the party leaders have decided that the President’s rule should end in Maharashtra and that an alternate government should be formed. Sharad Pawar and Sonia Gandhi will discuss the possibilities and feasibility of forging an alliance with Shiv Sena which has been their ideological opponent.

Read: Amit Shah said not to worry, BJP and Shiv Sena will form the government, claims Union Minister Ramdas Athawale

Pawar on Friday had said that the process to form new government in Maharashtra has begun and it will complete its full term of 5 years. Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge had also said that Pawar will meet with Sonia Gandhi and decide the future course of action in Maharashtra.

NCP till now has remained non-committal in forging alliance with Shiv Sena.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has cancelled his trip to Ayodhya he had announced following Ram Janmabhoomi verdict.

Even before the winter session in parliament begins, new buddies Shiv Sena and Congress give adjournment motion notices

OpIndia Staff
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Even before the winter session in parliament begins, new buddies Shiv Sena and Congress give adjournment motion notices

The winter session of the parliament is to begin today. Even before the session begins, new friends Congress and Shiv Sena have given adjournment motion notices.

As per reports, the Congress party has given an adjournment motion notice over the ‘Instability in Jammu and Kashmir post abrogation of Article 370’. The Shiv Sena has given an adjournment motion notice over ‘Loss of crops due to heavy rainfall in Maharashtra’.

After the Shiv Sena’s withdrawal from the ruling NDA over government formation in Maharashtra, it was reported earlier that Shiv Sena MPs have been allocated seats in the opposition side.

The Sena had also made its lone minister Aravind Sawant resign from the Union Cabinet.

Read: Point of no return: Shiv Sena to sit in opposition in upcoming winter session in Parliament

As per reports, the TMC has also given an adjournment motion notice over the detention of NC leader Farouq Abdullah in Srinagar. As the Lok Sabha commenced, speaker Om Birla had invited TDP MP Kesineni Srinivas to pose the first question. However, opposition leaders were seen doing loud sloganeering over the detention of Jammu and Kashmir politicians.

Ahead of the beginning of the winter session, PM Modi stated that the parliament should witness quality debates and open discussions. Nearly 50 bills are scheduled to be presented in the parliament this session.

Altaf Hussain, a Pakistani politician who said ‘Pakistan is cancer to the world’ has requested PM Modi for asylum

OpIndia Staff
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Altaf Hussain, a Pakistani politician who said ‘Pakistan is cancer to the world’ has requested PM Modi for asylum

Altaf Hussain, the founder of Pakistani political party MQM (Muttahida Qaumi Movement) has requested PM Narendra Modi to grant him asylum in India. MQM is one of Pakistan’s main political parties and its founder Hussain has been living in exile in the UK since 1992.

As per reports, Hussain has also requested for financial assistance from PM Modi. Hussain made this request via a video message after his bail conditions were relaxed recently. Hussain was arrested in June this year over charges of making ‘violence-inciting statements’ against the Pakistani establishment.

Hussain has stated in the video message that the Indian Supreme Court is right to favour Hindus in the Ram Janmabhoomi verdict. He added that Muslims do not have a claim over the site. Hussain has also added that the current Indian government has the right to establish a ‘Hindu Raj’ and if politicians like Owaisi do not like it, they can move to Pakistan where a Muslim homeland has already been established for them.

Hussain has also stated that if the Modi government cannot grant him and his colleagues an asylum, they should at least provide him money and some resources so he could take the Pakistan government to the ICJ over atrocities on Sindhis, Baloch and all other ethnic minority groups.

He added that he wants to visit India because his grandfather, grandmother and many of his relatives are buried here. He has also promised that he is a ‘peaceful person’ and he will not interfere in any kind of politics. He wants PM Modi to grant him asylum along with his colleagues because all his assets in Karachi have been taken over by Pakistani governments over the years.

Hussain has been severely critical of Pakistani governments over the years. As the leader of the ‘Muhajirs’-Muslims from India who had migrated to Pakistan during the partition, he had time and again attacked the ruling Pakistani political leaders and policies.

In 2016, while addressing a group of workers protesting outside Karachi Press Club against the extra-judicial killings and disappearances of his party workers Hussain had stated, “Pakistan is cancer for the entire world. It is the epicentre of terrorism and people should condemn Pakistan”.

Read: Pakistani minorities launch massive protests in New York ahead of Imran Khan’s UNGA speech

It is notable here that Hussain’s MQM was once the third-largest party in Pakistan, representing mostly ‘Muhajirs’ in Karachi and Hyderabad region. Hussain had to leave Pakistan after being hounded by the ruling parties. He still holds considerable sway in Pakistan’s politics.

Hussain is due to face trial in the UK over the 2016 speech that was relayed to his followers in 2016. He is currently under strict bail conditions imposed by a UK court. The UK police had charged him under section 1(2) of the UK terrorism Act, 2006 for ‘encouraging terrorism’.

Bankruptcy looms over NDTV as auditor’s review shows a grim picture

OpIndia Staff
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Bankruptcy looms over NDTV as auditor’s review shows a grim picture

The auditor’s review in its quarterly filing with the stock exchanges reveals that the losses incurred by the media house has high liabilities which exceed its current assets by Rs 88.92 crore, thereby significantly impacting its ability to perform as going concern entity.

Excerpt of audit report of NDTV which the company has filed with the bourses.

As seen above in point no. 7, the auditors of NDTV draw the attention to the financial statements [pdf] which presents the profits and loss. NDTV had posted the net loss of Rs 10.16 crore and Rs 1.17 crore for the quarter and six-months ending 30th September 2019. As of that date, the company’s current liabilities exceeded the current liabilities by Rs 88.92 crore.

The limited review (and not audit) is conducted by the auditors to obtain moderate assurance that the company financials are free of material misstatements. The auditor’s review further states that there is significant doubt on the parent company’s ability to carry on the business as a going concern. “Management has stated that the parent company has initiated certain strategic and operational measures included in the note to mitigate the uncertainty. Accordingly, they have prepared the statement on going concern basis,” the review reads. However, the auditors have not modified their conclusion on this respect.

A going concern concept is an accounting term which states that the company has enough resources to continue operating as it is indefinitely and not get bankrupt. A company becomes bankrupt once it stops being a going concern.

Read: Here is why Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy were stopped at the airport and were not allowed to leave the country

NDTV in recent times has been embroiled in controversies over alleged financial irregularities. NDTV is facing multiple cases related to violation of FDI norms, Income Tax violation, and non-compliance with disclosure norms. CBI is probing a case against NDTV in relation to a Rs 375 crore loan from ICICI Bank and a corresponding wrongful loss of Rs 46 crore to the bank. There is a chain of borrow, repay and borrow where Roys took a series of loans in 2008 as they sought to buy back a large chunk of NDTV shares from the market, allegedly violating foreign direct investment (FDI) rules in a 2007-09 investment, a charge denied by the company.

An FIR was filed against Prannoy Roy, Radhika Roy, NDTV, RRPR Holdings Pvt Ltd and unknown officials of ICICI Bank by a company called Quantum Securities Limited in June 2017. The charges levelled were those of criminal conduct, conspiracy and cheating. QSL is a shareholder both in NDTV and ICICI and filed the FIR as an aggrieved party of the alleged misdeeds.

Read: Islamists celebrate the brutal murder of Kamlesh Tiwari, NDTV leading the charge with their attempts to trivialise the crime

In August this year, the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) had upheld a SEBI order imposing a penalty of ₹2.10 crore on NDTV and ₹3 lakhs each on 3 directors for violation of disclosure norms. It is alleged that the company and its directors failed to inform the stock exchanges about a tax demand of ₹450 crore served by the income tax department.

Cops not welcome, users don’t feel safe: Mastodon Social platform suspends Assam Police account

OpIndia Staff
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Cops not welcome, users don’t feel safe: Mastodon Social platform suspends Assam Police account

Mastodon Social, the social networking platform which recently gained popularity in India for being ‘fair’ and ‘free of censorship’ has suspended Assam Police’s account after users reported that they were feeling ‘unsafe’ by presence of police on social media platform. Mastodon told Assam Police they’re not welcome as it wants the community to feel ‘safe and secured’.

A Mastodon moderator reportedly posted that the platform has decided not to allow police on their platform as it did not want the platform to be used for ‘official communication’. This suspension of official police account by a social media platform comes close on the heels of reports that various terror organisations are increasingly using the internet and social media to spread propaganda.

Read: TikTok removes dozens of ISIS accounts which shared Islamic State anthems, footage of corpses and ISIS terrorists

As reported by Indian Express, Assam Police was reaching out on Mastodon with cyber safety message for children which apparently violated Mastodon’s code of conduct. “The way our account was suspended has left us bewildered and makes us wonder about the intentions of the space,” Assam Police official told the Indian Express.

There have been numerous reports in recent times suggesting that terror organisations across the world are increasingly using social media to recruit and spread propaganda. Other than ISIS which has made use of social media successfully to even inspire and train ‘lone wolves’, Palestine and Lebanon-based terror organisations like Hamas and Hezbollah have used platforms such as Facebook and YouTube to release propaganda as well as beheading videos to ‘send a message’ and issue threats.

Read: ISIS using modern technology to gain a foothold in Kashmir

An Interpol report says that terrorists use social media for radicalisation, recruitment, funding, planning and execution of terrorist activities. In fact, Interpol is using social media extensively as well to identify potential witnesses to support investigations.

At a time when security agencies are looking at social media platforms to counter terror networks, Mastodon has suspended Assam Police account to make its users feel ‘safe and secure’.

Iron Man rolling eyes at irony.
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